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In 2010, the Lib Dems contested 631 seats, the same number as the Tories and Labour, and won 6.8 million votes.

But with the next election just four months away, the Lib Dems have fewer official candidates than both Ukip and the Greens, who have 358 and 310 respectively.

Labour MP Toby Perkins, who won his Chesterfield seat from the Lib Dems in 2010, said: “This shows that they are a party of government in name only.

“The focus is trying to cling on to the seats they have got left.

“The vast majority of the country is of no interest to them - they have a token presence.”

Since entering into government with the Tories in 2010, the Lib Dems have taken drubbings at both local and European elections.

A YouGov opinion poll published on Monday put the party on just seven per cent – one point behind the Greens.

At a press conference on Monday, the Lib Dem leader said he was confident his party would “massively confound all the critics” and return better election results than currently predicted.

He said when Lib Dem activists are able to “tell our side of the story” in “our seats and in the seats where we are competitive we get a good hearing and we will do a lot better than many people say.”

Last night, a Liberal Democrat spokesman said: “The Liberal Democrats are in the process of selecting candidates across the UK, with more candidates already selected than usual by this point in the election cycle.

“We expect to stand a candidate in every seat making the case for a second term of Liberal Democrats in Government, creating opportunity for everyone in a stronger economy and a fairer society.”